Oberlin College Update

We recently ran two news items indicating that things are far from OK for Jewish students at Oberlin College:

What’s Going on at Oberlin?
An Oberlin College assistant professor claims that Jews or Israelis control much of the world, are responsible for 9/11, the Charlie Hebdo attacks, and the rise of ISIS. Even aid to Holocaust survivors triggers vitriol from Joy Karega, an assistant professor of Rhetoric and Composition….pity her poor students and the sad state of affairs on college campuses where the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement has become a platform for anti-Semitism. (2/26/2016 Columbus Jewish Foundation e-news)

Oberlin College President to Address Charges of Campus Anti-Semitism
The president of Oberlin College in Northern Ohio will speak with members of an alumni group that raised concerns about an anti-Semitic climate on campus. Two hundred alumni wrote the college administration about a school culture that they believe tolerates anti-Semitism, including a protest against Israel on Rosh Hashanah and the expulsion of the Kosher Halal co-op from the Oberlin Student Cooperation Association. Students for a Free Palestine rejected the charges, vowing to continue its protest of Israel. Oberlin College was founded in 1833 by Presbyterian ministers. Oberlin, Ohio is referred to as The Town That Started the Civil War, according to author Nat Brandt. (1/29/2016 Columbus Jewish Foundation e-news)

Latest Developments
Now we learn that Oberlin’s president, Marvin Krislov, has responded to criticism about Professor Joy Karega: “The statements posted on social media by Dr. Joy Karega, assistant professor of rhetoric and composition, are hers alone and do not represent the views of Oberlin College.”

Alan Dershowitz has already snapped back: “If Karega had expressed comparably bigoted views about Blacks, Muslims or gays, the President of Oberlin would not have posted the boilerplate he posted. He would have condemned those views, even if he defended her right to express them.”